Friday, May 21, 2010

Have a Read-In...

My daughter and I do this every so often and it's become one of my favorite (and hers!) thing to do and a great way to spend time with her.

We stole this idea from her school. Basically, once or twice a year they have a "Read-In" where kids are asked to bring a book they want to bring along with a blanket, a stuffed toy and or/pillow along with a snack and they spend the morning reading together. That's it. There's no talking or drawing, no math, no work, just each class (from 1st grade through 5th) all reading.

I think it's the most wonderful idea. To make reading fun (imagine!) and a reward for doing a good job at school.

The kids love it and so we've taken the idea into our home and will plan an after-school Read-in. My daughter will usually say, "Let's have a Read-in tomorrow" and I'll say, "What would you like for your special treats?" From there, it's just a quick shopping trip and a little prep before she gets home and Read-in begins.

Here are our traditions--

1) We get into our PJs or comfortable sweats or yoga pants.
2) The snacks are placed on my favorite (and largest) tray and brought up to my bedroom.
3) The window is opened to hear the birds, blankets and pillows are added to the cozy bed

and we begin.

That's it. We usually read together for about 2 hours until dinner (not that we're hungry after all our snacks.)

Her favorite special snack today is salt-water taffy and Jelly Bellies.
My favorite is Jelly Bellies and yogurt with granola.

This was from our last Read-in, but I mention this because we're having another tonight.

It's truly become one of my favorite things to do with my daughter. Seeing her read (and taking on more challenging books) warms my heart in a way I never expected.

By the way, I wrote this post thinking about parents, but you could easily have a Read-In with your spouse, partner, friend, pets. I think reading together is one of the sweetest things to do. Yes, I do get all sugary-sweet about reading. I'll try to be a little more hard-edged in a couple other posts to balance this out.